1. Field of the Invention
The present application is directed to building construction techniques, and more particularly to methods of attaching building finishing elements such as trim boards, fascia boards, and soffits to a building structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional modern construction, finishing elements, and in particular, trim boards such as HardieTrim® board, are often installed on the exterior surface of a building structure to provide a decorative finish. For example, trim boards can be applied to corners, sides of windows and doors, and top and bottom edges of the structure. The trim boards can be attached by screw or nail fastening to the building structure or, more desirably, by attachment via concealed fasteners, such as trim tabs. The concealed trim tabs are typically flat tabs extending outwardly from the edge of the trim board and configured to fasten to a sheathing in a manner that they are concealed from view. The sheathing is a structural insulating layer of material attached to the frame of the building structure. The sheathing is often ⅜″ to ⅝″ thick and typically covers the entire exterior of a building structure's frame. The sheathing can be made from a variety of different materials such as plywood and oriented strand board (OSB), and generally can provide an appropriate backing for fastening the concealed trim tabs.
Certain building constructions, however, particularly those in the southern regions of the United States, are constructed without any form of sheathing. Additionally, in some building structures, the building may alternatively be insulated with a rigid foam sheathing made from material such as expanded polystyrene (EPS), extruded polystyrene (XPS), and/or polyisocyanurate, and without the inclusion of a conventional structural sheathing made from plywood or OSB. It is difficult to attach concealed fasteners such as trim tabs to these types of building constructions because there is very little support surface for attachment. As a result, there is an ongoing challenge when using concealed fasteners to install finishing elements such as trim boards to building structures constructed without conventional structural sheathing.
In view of the foregoing, there is therefore a need for an improved technique and system for attaching finishing elements such as trim boards, fascia boards, and soffits to building structures, particularly those constructed without conventional structural sheathing. Such a system would be particularly suitable for the installation of finishing elements on homes that are constructed with exterior siding and without a structural sheathing layer.